By the Book
by PixelByPixel
Summary: Chloe, housesitting for the weekend, is looking forward to getting some time alone with some wine and a smutty book. Of course, she's not left alone for long...


"Thank you so much for this." Monica, Trixie's friend Beth's mom, gushed. "So sad that Steve got the flu, and we would have hated to cancel our little getaway. We really appreciate you filling in."

Chloe smiled, her gaze skating over the brushed steel and granite of the Stewarts' kitchen. Looking after their lovely little house for the weekend would definitely not be a hardship. She'd been longing for just a little time alone, and this fit the bill. "Well, it's the least I could do, with you guys taking Trixie with you."

Monica beamed. "Oh, we all love Trixie. We should be thanking you for letting us take her. Besides," she confided, "Beth is a lot easier to manage if she has a friend to play with."

Chloe looked out to where the girls waited in the minivan with Richard, Monica's husband. "Well, I'm sure Trixie will have a great time."

Monica smiled once more. "Dakota's feeding schedule and vet information are on the fridge, though hopefully you won't need the vet. I know he's big, but he's a sweetheart. He's definitely not allowed on the furniture, though, no matter what he tells you. And if he whines, it's usually because he wants to go out or he wants a ball. He just loves his balls."

Chloe managed to keep a straight face. Lucifer had obviously corrupted her; her brain didn't used to leap to those thoughts. No, she wasn't thinking about Lucifer. This was Chloe time, so she just nodded and said, "Good to know."

The dog, watching alertly despite his boneless sprawl, thumped his tail against the floor at the mention of his name, or possibly at the word _ball_ , though he did have one between his massive front paws. Big, Chloe reflected, was something of an understatement; he was at least a hundred pounds and large-framed to match, but he looked friendly enough, and he wagged his tail again when Chloe stroked his coarse, black fur.

"I'm sure we'll get along just fine," Chloe encouraged. "But you'd better get going. It's a long drive, right?"

Monica nodded, some of her cheer dimming at the prospect. "You're right. Thanks again, Chloe. I'll make sure Trixie calls you to say goodnight, okay?"

"Thanks, Monica," Chloe replied. She ushered the woman to the door, smiling and lifting a hand as Trixie waved gleefully from the van. "Have a great time."

"You, too!" Monica replied. She bustled out to the van, and Chloe watched as it eased down the drive.

Chloe closed the door behind her and turned the deadbolt, though she thought she needn't have bothered. Trixie had met Beth at the sleepaway camp that Chloe's mom had sprung for last summer, rather than at school, and the Stewarts' house was, while not quite in the middle of nowhere, still pretty isolated. She walked through the kitchen and Dakota heaved himself to his feet, ambling after her. "You gonna keep me company this weekend?" she asked, and Dakota favored her with a doggy smile, his tongue lolling.

He seemed like he would be a relatively peaceful companion, and that, along with the book and the bottle of wine just waiting for her in her bag, was exactly what Chloe needed. No demands from anybody, be it child, roommate, ex-husband, boss, or partner.

Reminded, Chloe muted her phone to everyone but Dan, Trixie, and the lieutenant. While she had the weekend off, homicides didn't take vacation time into consideration. Still, she hoped that she would get a little time to herself.

After a cursory exploration of the house, she left her bag in the guest bedroom and settled on the couch with her wine and her bag. Dakota, who had stuck to her side, immediately clambered onto the couch next to her.

"You're not supposed to be up here," Chloe chided, amused by his apparent familiarity with the furniture. The dog rested his chin on her knee, his pleading eyes rivaling even Trixie's, and Chloe stroked his ears. "Okay. I won't tell if you don't."

As if he understood her, the dog promptly stretched out, his head and shoulders oozing onto Chloe's lap and effectively trapping her, his back half taking up the rest of the couch. Still, it wasn't like she had anywhere to go.

Smiling in anticipation, she pulled the battered paperback from her bag. Ella had handed her the first book in the series with a knowing grin, saying, "I think you'll like these."

Chloe had surprised herself by enjoying the book, and had gotten the second and now the third from the library. They were total potato chip books, but sometimes, she decided, she needed to do something for herself, something fun. And these books were certainly fun.

Alternating between her wine and petting the snoring dog, Chloe lost herself in the story of the tough homicide cop and her wealthy Irish fiance. Between the crime-fighting and the lavish lifestyle, there was also plenty of sex.

Ella was many things, but subtle wasn't one of them.

The cases in the futuristic books often seemed obvious, but if Chloe was being truly honest with herself, she wasn't reading them for the cases. And if she sometimes heard certain scenes being read in an accent that was distinctly _not_ Irish, well, who was going to know?

She cocked her head and reached down to strip off his shirt. "Cooperate and I won't have to hurt you. Uh-huh." When he reached for her, she gripped his hands and pushed them back to the mat. "I'm in charge here. Don't make me get out the cuffs."

With dawning horror, Chloe realized that the voice in her head was no longer just in her head.

"Oh, this is lovely," Lucifer purred. "Shall we re-enact it? I always suspected that you were a take-charge sort of person in the bedroom. You can order me around any time you like."

"But would you actually listen?" Chloe turned sharply, then pulled back upon finding Lucifer's face mere inches from her own, the better to look over her shoulder. _Play it cool_ , she told herself. _If you don't make more of this than it is, then he won't, either._

"Oh, I always _listen_ , Detective," Lucifer said brightly.

Chloe sighed. Of course he did. But listening and doing were two entirely different things. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

Lucifer replied, sounding honestly concerned, "Well, nobody was at your house, and it's Friday night. I know it's not a girls' night, so I assumed something was wrong."

"What were you doing in my house?" Chloe demanded. "Did you break in again? And, really, like it's a reason for concern that I'm not home on a Friday night?"

"Looking for you." Lucifer leaned closer, the better to try and get another look at Chloe's book; when she turned the text away, he made a face, adding, "You're nearly always home unless you're working, and I knew you weren't working, so of course it's a reason for concern."

Chloe inhaled a long, deep breath, reaching for patience. "What are you doing _here_ , though? I only told Dan where I was. Lucifer, tell me you didn't interrupt his stakeout for this."

"I didn't interrupt Daniel's stakeout," Lucifer replied agreeably. "As to what I'm doing here, you weren't answering my texts, so I asked Miss Lopez to track your phone."

Chloe stared at him. "Do you realize how creepy that sounds?"

"What, and it wasn't creepy when you did it?" Lucifer retorted.

"When did I -?" Chloe faltered.

Oh.

When she had found him on the beach and they had kissed. Chloe shoved aside the memory of his lips on hers, sounding fake even to herself when she replied, "But that was different. I was worried about you."

Lucifer didn't reply, but Chloe could see it from the way his expression shuttered: he'd been worried about her, too. That uncharitable part of Chloe was meanly glad; after all, he'd put her through more than her fair share of worry, and then shown up married to a stripper like nothing had happened.

After a moment, Lucifer said brightly, an obvious distraction, "But I'm more interested in your reading material. Let's see, shall we?" He reached for the book and Chloe, trapped beneath the massive dog, couldn't avoid his grab.

Lucifer paged through the book. "Oh, _very_ nice," he approved. "Why, Detective, I didn't know you had it in you. You always talk about doing it by the book. Well, I'm game if you are."

Chloe ignored Lucifer and gave Dakota a firm push; he woke with a short bark. "Some guard dog you are," she chided.

"Dog, is it?" Lucifer queried absently, still scanning the book. "It looks like a small horse. Is it holding you hostage?"

"No," Chloe retorted, though her attempts at extricating herself were proving to be futile. She began to realize why the dog wasn't allowed on the furniture. "Hey, boy, where are your balls?" she asked brightly.

Lucifer looked up from the book, eyes glinting as he regarded her. "They're where they always have been, though if you'd like to check to be certain…" Some of the puzzlement cleared from his face when he saw the dog watching them alertly. "Oh. His balls? Well, that seems like rather a personal question, don't you think?"

Making a sound of exasperated frustration, Chloe asked, "A little help?"

Looking amused, Lucifer let loose a short, shrill whistle, his expression shifting to smug when the dog heaved himself to the ground and ambled in his direction. "Better?"

"Yes," Chloe replied tersely. "Thank you." She got to her feet before Dakota could pin her again, though the couldn't help but laugh at the dismayed noises Lucifer made as the dog sniffed him. "Here, let's put him outside."

She put actions to words, watching as the dog tore into the backyard with more speed than she would have thought possible given his size. Turning back to Lucifer, she frowned faintly as she considered him. "What are you doing here?" There was no accusation in her tone this time.

"You weren't at home," Lucifer repeated, his voice gone quiet. "And you weren't answering my texts."

When his gaze returned to the book, an obvious evasion, Chloe said gently, her earlier satisfaction turning to guilt, "Look, I'm sorry I muted my phone. I just wanted some time without interruptions."

"And I'm interrupting," Lucifer observed, with a thin smile, putting her bookmark in place and setting the book on the table. "I'll go, now that I know you're all right."

"No, it's okay. I was going to take a break from reading anyway." Chloe smiled. "Want some wine? It's not fancy or anything…"

Lucifer echoed the smile. "Yes, thanks." He paused a moment, then couldn't resist adding, "You were really going to stop there? Without finding out if she uses the handcuffs?"

Chloe turned to get another wine glass, the better to hide her amusement. "Okay, maybe not right there," she admitted. She offered the wine to Lucifer, adding, "I might read just a little more."

Taking the wine, Lucifer encouraged, "Don't let me stop you, Detective."

Laughing, Chloe demurred, "With you watching? I don't think so."

"I could leave," Lucifer offered, this time sounding more sincere. "I wouldn't want to get between you and your…" He smiled. "Self-edification."

Unable to keep back another laugh, Chloe said, "Is that what the kids are calling it these days?" She turned her gaze back to Lucifer. Things had been so strained between them; it was nice just to laugh with him. Seeing the spark of interest in Lucifer's eyes, she took the book from the table. She took a deep, shaky breath, then offered it to him. "Read it to me?"

"Detective," Lucifer breathed, though he put down the wine glass in favor of taking the book. Chloe settled on the couch and he followed, though he left a small space between them. "Right where you left off?"

"Maybe go back just a little?"

"Right," Lucifer agreed, though his tone was tentative, rather than lascivious. "Wouldn't want to miss anything." He cleared his throat, thumbed through to the right spot, and began to read.

Chloe closed her eyes, letting the rise and fall of Lucifer's voice wash over her. For once, she decided, she would just enjoy herself. She would disregard, for now, the mixed signals her partner had been giving her, the strangeness between them. She would try to forget that pang she'd felt upon seeing Candy on Lucifer's arm. She'd even ignore the niggling question of how he gotten into the house, when she knew she'd used the deadbolt. Chloe Jane Decker was going to have some fun.

She deserved it.

Hearing Lucifer's voice falter over a particularly steamy part, Chloe opened her eyes to find him watching her over the top of the book, his eyes gone dark. She smiled.

"Put down the book."

For once, he obeyed.


End file.
